Writing on micro-blogging site Twitter, Sean Lennon said the ad was "not for money" but was intended to keep his father "out there in the world".

"Having just seen [the] ad I realize why people are mad," he wrote. "But [the] intention was not financial."

Yes. That'd be it. Given that it's about a full ten minutes since The Beatles were all over the media with the computer game and the re-releases, it's quite possible that people might have forgotten Lennon ever existed.

But... hang on: why would you need to make a car advert to promote Lennon?

[Lennon] defended his mother, saying she was merely "hoping to keep dad in [the] public consciousness".

The ad, he said, meant "exposure to [the] young". "Not many things as effective as TV," he continued.

Yes. That's what you think of when someone mentions John Lennon, isn't it? "He's that guy who was on the Ed Sullivan Show a while back, wasn't he?"

Sean could say "look, my Dad loved money as much as anyone and Yoko's just worked out that he's reached a point where he's more valuable as a cash-cow than a pretend hippie. If he hadn't been shot, Lennon would be doing Nespresso adverts and writing start-up jingles for Microsoft." Trying to pretend that flogging cars is simply a way of keeping a philosopher's flame alive just makes everyone look silly as well as grubby.

Beech said, “Since Helen Boaden became head of news we have become much more focussed on news, and if you look at what’s happened to Phil Upton’s [breakfast] show, that’s gone all speech until 9.30.

“Local radio is going back to its roots, but we’ve seen this coming, so we’re in a good place to respond to the strategic review.

“We’re ahead of the game”.

To be fair, much of the music played on the BBC local stations performs the function of the jam in an Arctic Roll - sticking things together without providing much distinctive flavour - but there are a couple of specialist shows on WM. Most notably, there's the West Midlands variant of Introducing - and if 6Music is to die, let's hope the regions can keep their couple of hours supporting new music alive, at least.

One of the regrets about things I missed while we were in America over the last couple of weeks was a chance to hear this lot's new stuff. White Rose Movement gave Hoxton a first out-of-the-rehearsal airing to the tracks that will form the second album later this year.

Friday, March 05, 2010

And there you go: Fred Wedlock, singer of The Oldest Swinger In Town, has died.

Fred started singing to the customers of the pub he was born in - earning sixpence at the age of four, according to his official site. Like Jasper Carrott and Billy Connolly, he built his skills by working the circuit of folk clubs, and earned his wider fame thanks to his sharp wit.

Having had something of a portmanteau career, Wedlock tried proper jobs - teaching, most notably - and assembled a three-decade span of doing this and that. He even spent a spell as HTV's answer to David Dickinson, presenting a series of Bargain Hunters.

Fred, who was 67, had been suffering from pneumonia and died yesterday after a heart attack.

An angry RIAA post wails that unlicensed music sharers are stealing bread from the victims of the Haiti earthquake:

On the heels of the encouraging news high that the “Hope for Haiti Now” charity album became the first all-digital record to top Billboard’s 200 music sales chart, we’ve also learned that there is a group of P2P users who are uploading and downloading the charity album illegally.

As the “Reaching new lows – charity album piracy” post on James Gannon’s IP, Innovation and Culture blog notes, the album is now widely available on illicit BitTorrent sites like The Pirate Bay, Torrentz and more. The posting highlights a truly ugly side of P2P piracy – the undermining of humanitarian fundraising efforts via online theft of the “Hope for Haiti Now” compilation. So much for the notion that illegal downloading (“sharing”) is an effort to help advance the plight of artists.

That last sentence doesn't actually make sense, does it?

It's possible that people are downloading the album and sending the money straight to charity. Unlikely, but possible.

But hang on a moment... are the RIAA even right about this? Music Ally holds the claims up to the light:

I wondered just how popular the album is on file-sharing networks. It might be available, but how many people are downloading it? So I asked someone best placed to answer that question – Eric Garland of BigChampagne, which tracks activity on these networks.

“Yes, the charity record is available online, on torrent sites and one-click hosting etc, but the interest/volume is relatively low – nothing like a big pop record,” he says. And he pulled out some stats to show the comparative downloads of Hope For Haiti Now and Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster to show it.

At its peak on 24th January, Hope For Haiti Now was being downloaded 2,680 times a day according to BigChampagne – compare that to The Fame Monster’s 63,845 downloads the same day. Meanwhile, by 23rd February, Hope For Haiti Now’s daily downloads had dwindled to 820, compared to 47,971 for the Gaga album.

So there are a few people helping themselves - presumably the sort of people who wouldn't have bought the album even if it hadn't been available free - but most people are leaving it untouched on the networks.

The evidence, then, suggests that people who use unlicensed files are quite decent in their behaviour when it comes to a charity album. Certainly no worse than a music industry cartel using half-truths and crocodile tears about a charity album to try and advance their political position.

It would have been a great opportunity for Erik Hassle: opening for the trending Marina & The Diamonds in New York, and then on to SXSW. Result? Lots of lovely press and web coverage, hundreds of new fans, and dozens of pairs of knickers flung in his direction.

Trouble is, though, Hassle has had his US visa turned down. They're hoping he'll be able to get across in the Spring.

On Friday February 19th, SellaBand AG requested provisional suspension of payments (moratorium). This was granted by the Court in Amsterdam on the same day. Yesterday, Monday February 22nd, this moratorium was changed into bankruptcy, with appointment of, Mr Paul Schaink, an amsterdam lawyer, as trustee. The trustee wishes to inform the 'Sellaband community' that, apart from a few technicalities, the completion of a transaction with a potential buyer of the business, is to be expected soon, in order to make a fresh start, safeguarding both the rights of Believers and Artists. More news will follow shortly.

The whole thing was picked up a buyer in Munich. The trustee sent this email to artists:

Yesterday I sold the Sellaband business and assets to German buyers in Munich. This transaction was approved by the Amsterdam Court. The contract will be signed today. The buyers have guaranteed that they will take over 100% of the obligations towards both the Believers and the Artists. So, both the monies owed to the Believers and the Artists are safe. The monies owed to the Believers will remain in an independent trust account (Treuhand) in Germany which is separated from Sellaband, as it was before. It is expected that the Sellaband website will open again no later than either tonight or tomorrow. Further developments will be published through the Sellaband website. It is important now for the ‘Sellaband community’ to calm down, because there should be no fear towards their investments. At this stage I will not give any information as to the background of the bankruptcy of Sellaband. In about 3 weeks an official report to the Court will be released, that can be found on www.curatoren.nl.

We will continue to advance this fantastic platform while acting in the spirit of the SellaBand community and its founders. We are thankful for the exceptional work of Johan Vosmeijer and his team.

Starting from today we proceed with this unique concept and maximize the potential of SellaBand with the trust and faith of all Artists and Believers. In personal I am proud to be part of this idea and I am aware of my responsibility for done work and successes. I will take care about the community and spirit of sellaband.com with your help and confidence.

It's too late, though, for many. As if the last couple of weeks' uncertainty hasn't been enough to shake confidence, Sellaband users like Matthew Ebel are starting to wonder why they need a clunking middleman in relationships like these.

Were I an artist or a "believer" (the cutsey name for investor), I think this is the bit where I'd do a lousy Duncan Banatyne impersonation and say "I'm out":

Sellaband holds onto believers’ money until the artist’s goal is reached, if ever. If they disappear, so does the money.

Mark Thompson, Herr Director General of the BBC, announced yesterday that 6 music was to be closed ... which is obviously a ludicrous decision for those who actually love hearing great music on the radio ... so I've written to the BBC Trust, who apparently have the ability to reverse the decision, and if you feel this way inclined the link is https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view Here's what I wrote: To whom it may concern, I am writing regarding the news today that 6 Music is going to be closed, in the hope that you reconsider this decision. To be honest I, along with a vast number of other musicians, music industry types and real music fans, are completely shocked and baffled by this news. I wonder if those who made this decision are actually aware of the hugely important role that 6 music plays in fostering and promoting new bands, as well as still playing the likes of the band that I am in. It literally is the radio lifeblood for music outside of the mainstream.

Not to denigrate Radio's 1 and 2, but it really is the only station that puts music first, and that's from a punters point of view and not some bloke in a band. Nowhere else can you hear an archived session track from T Rex juxtaposed next to Midlake's latest release.

As David Bowie, put it ... it keeps the spirit of John Peel alive. Please realise the impact and severity of closing this station down. It will be a huge blow for new bands and their labels. It's not enough to 'refocus' Radio's 1 and 2 as 6 music does a very specific thing.

What you have with 6 Music is a gem of a radio station, it is doing what no other station in the world does or can possibly do. Remember it is also still relatively young, give it time. You also finally have a fantastic and seemingly settled line up of DJ's. Please get behind it and from what I can gather about it's annual budget of £6m, it surely punches way above it's weight in terms of cultural relevance and importance.

Not any more, though, as he's walked. He announced it on Twitter, so it must be true.

Avery said he'd only decided to do the reunion when the NME gave the band some sort of 'old band' prize; presumably now the trickle of 'you woz grate' prizes has come to an end, Avery has chosen to go back home.

Hello, Jessica Simpson? If someone calls you "sexual napalm", like John Mayer did, and it really upset you, perhaps you might like to think about not reminding everyone about it every time you go on TV.

Whoever would have thought we'd live long enough to see a chart battle between Gracie Fields and The Courteeners? One a clapped-out act beloved only of a few older types, and the other... oh, you know where I'm going with that, don't you?

HMV's chart commentator, Gennaro Castaldo, said: "The recent No.1 album from Vera Lynn demonstrates that age need not be a barrier to chart success. There is an audience out there for almost everyone if you can find a way to connect with them through music that's timeless. Whether it's the current economic climate or a simple yearning for more optimistic times, you get a real sense that nostalgia has a growing appeal right now. There's a whole generation of heritage artists - who were huge stars in their day, that we could very easily become re-acquainted with, not least Gracie Fields.

"Gracie was Britain's first true pop star at a time when recorded-music really began to take off among the wider public. With Dame Vera having opened the door, the Gracie Fields Collection is flying off the shelves. To think that a singer born in the 1800s is outselling some of the very best new musical talent around is truly remarkable."

Is it? Really?

Of course, this chart battle isn't quite as violent as the story may lead you to believe, as the tussle between the Courteeners and Gracie is only taking place in the minds of the Manchester Evening Newsin Rochdale.

Indeed, the story concludes that it's not even a skirmish nationwide:

In the national album charts The Courteeners debuted at six with Dame Gracie at 29.

So, it's official: Mark Thompson is going round to 6Music and the Asian Network and asking them to turn the music off. Not straight away, though:

During the briefing Mr Thompson said the earliest 6 Music and Asian Network would close would be by the end of 2011.

It was reported on Friday that the two digital stations would be closed, after the report was leaked to The Times.

That's quite a clunky phrase - tomorrow, strictly speaking, is "by the end of 2011", but it seems to suggest we've got at least 150 more Marc Riley sessions to go before anything gets switched off. Which is something.

On Friday, Shadow 'Culture' Minister Ed Vaizey was delighted at the news of the BBC cutting back:

Vaizey said the Conservatives wanted "a smaller BBC", but did not want "to beat up the BBC". He added that proposals to close digital stations 6 Music and the Asian Network and cut back the BBC website, reported in today's Times, were "intelligent and sensible".

MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal that when challenged by an angry fans of the station, he admitted he had not heard the station before but claimed he had become an avid fan over the weekend. This was part of a public backlash over the closure of 6 Music, which included tens of thousands of supporters protesting via Twitter and Facebook.

"Having not listened to 6 Music, I took it on trust that the BBC knew what it was doing in this regard," said Vaizey in response to an email sent by a member of the public who took him to task over his support for the package of cuts.

"Several things have happened since I spoke out. I had no strong views on 6 Music on Friday, I now know it is brilliant with a passionate and articulate fan base – I am now an avid listener to 6 Music. I suspect that 6 Music has doubled its audience. I strongly suspect 6 Music will be saved."

Let's just pause awhile: the man who - in all possibility - may be in charge of the UK Government's cultural policy was running round on Friday applauding decisions to close radio stations he not only had not listened to, but knew nothing about.

The Save 6Music campaign might not save the network, but it's really exposed how rubbish the Tories' arts and culture team are.

The plans to cut back the size of the BBC operations, you'll recall, have been constructed with an eye and a half on the possibility of a Tory gorvernment, and Vaizey's repeated calls for the BBC to do less. So, having got us into the mess in the first place, and then celebrated the mess, now Vaizey's having second thoughts.

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey said on Monday that four men operating under the name Wiseguys Tickets had hacked into online sites, buying more than 1 million tickets to some of the country’s most popular musical and sporting events and then reselling them for more than $25 million in profit.

In its 43-count indictment, the prosecutors say the men built a computer network that created thousands of fake accounts and built a program that could outsmart the ticketing software that creates those odd-shaped letters designed to require human verification.

I'm not sure, even if the claims are true, that anyone has hacked into anything - they've worked out how to game the system; they've written or obtained software that perform the same function as a person but much, much more quickly - but if you were hacking in, you wouldn't be bothering to solve CAPTCHAS in the first place, would you?

Monday, March 01, 2010

Neither does it work for a group such as Butcher Boy, from Glasgow. Their recent album, React or Die, received unanimously adoring reviews, making it into The Times’s list of the decade’s 100 best albums. For all that, Butcher Boy find themselves in a quandary. With day jobs, they can’t tour. And without tour money, they can’t give up their day jobs.

Erm... hasn't that always been the case for small, unsigned bands, since the start of time? I've certainly been on tours where singers have been calling in to their day job "unwell" shortly before heading out to Bath Moles.

I guess in the internet age, there is more risk of being caught out when people Tweet "great gig by Stiggy Pants" when Stiggy has told their boss they're in bed with flu.

Are you doing anything tomorrow? How about spending twelve hours with Autechre?

As they prepare for the launch of the new album Oversteps, they're doing a half day long radio programme. You know, it actually lasts twelve hours, unlike the George Lamb programme which only felt like it did. If you visit their site now and sign up, you'll get a polite alert when the programme is about to begin.